I had actually been carrying a steadily growing collection of stones for many days along my pilgrimage – stones I would pick up along The Way whenever they “called out to me” – stones I intended to place at the Cruz de Fero in honor of the many people (enemies as well as soulmates as […]
“A path is another being’s prior interpretation of the best – or in the most fortunate of circumstances, the most meaningful – way of traversing a particular landscape. And yet a path is even more than that. It is also an invitation to journey; a call to courage; a summons to Self. In truth, to […]
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders of the realities of the Universe that surrounds us, the less taste we shall have for its destruction … As such, a primary benefit of traveling is a tempering of one’s imagination with reality; a refilling of one’s attention with wonderment, and thereby a […]
The path then began to steadily rise and became just as steadily more desolate & arid – shrubs & flowers gave way to grasses & lichens, and the path seemed to climb smoothly into the sky; as though The Way was trying to literally become part of the sky. And then the route crested and […]
After walking through to the far edge of town, I noticed the local hostel – a large, modern refuge with a building-long veranda that beckoned me in from the glaring heat. And so it was that I stopped there and sat for awhile – re-taping my shoes and resting my legs and reveling in the […]
It never ceased to amaze me how effortlessly Providence provided along The Way, especially in those moments when I was in no way seeking or longing for the same. And such was the case on this glorious afternoon, where first I was blessed by Patricia & Frederic from Belgium (who offered me a Coca Cola […]
Recharged after my extended rest-stop, I then flowed fluidly onward through the hot & dusty day – first to & through the town of Riego de Ambros (and its peace-invoking Ermita de San Sebastian, that was unfortunately closed at the time of my passing) and then back deep into a trail that had become steep […]
The fresh-fruit donativo stand was something special and quite energizing, no doubt, AND there was nothing on this blazing & stony afternoon that was going to remove the challenge from the day … “Here is to all the brilliant ones who love deeply, for they are the ones who write the stories that make us […]
Molinaseca: it was not a town that called itself Home, and yet it was a place that inspired serenity … “There’s something about arriving in new cities, wandering half-empty streets with no destination; a visitor surrounded by those who call your strange Home. I will never lose the love for the arriving in these more-cramped […]
I wasn’t sure where I was going to stay in Ponferrada once I finally arrived there, and yet the time of day and the state of my stamina had me knowing that somewhere within its somewhat cozy confines I would indeed remain that night … “We cannot ever say with any certainty that we arrive […]
And then, with a little assistance & direction from a pathside church (the San Andres Iglesia near the city’s central castle) and two elderly locals, I easily found my way to the famed San Nicolas de Flue Albergue, where hospitaleros Alfonso & Raquel warmly & intently listened to the tale of my Walk before smiling […]
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